Contemplating the non object SNO 117 exhibition: four Western Australian artists: August 2015

By Brian Mahoney

Non objective art can have visual power, painting remains simply one step world on its own terms. It is art set free communicate aesthetic theories or beauty, and impact. It can involve beyond figurative art. And being a of extraneous demands. That’s the construction techniques. No wonder tremendous technical skill. But can it simple extension of representational art, purist view. But like all utopian visions figurative art gains the lion’s share of transmit feelings, or prompt thoughts it cannot avoid the questions one asks of it’s almost impossible to achieve. publicity and attention, with abstract art about human existence and the grand figurative art: “What is it depicting?”, not as widely appreciated. themes of love, life and death that art has “What does it represent?” and, The artist is subliminally influenced by been preoccupied with over centuries? Can ultimately, “What does it mean – I don’t her/his world. So this influence must The spark that ignited these thoughts it summon thoughts of the sublime, the understand it?” show through, mustn’t it? It is almost was SNO 117, an exhibition by four cosmos, the infinite. Or convey the feeling impossible to disassociate visual art Western Australian-based artists, with of a particular place or person? It is at this point derivative abstract art completely from the visual environment each occupying a separate room at flounders. Here is an art that fails to in which we live. Sydney Non Objective’s Marrickville Or is it an art form totally freed of meaning, show us a world we know. The general centre during August 2015. The diversity simply revelling in a new unconstrained populace looks for meaning and can’t Even when artificial intelligence takes within this small sampling of emptiness, having shaken the shackles of see any. over the art-making process from contemporary abstract painters illusion, story-telling, perspectival tricks and human artists, there will be parameters demonstrates non objective art is now a accumulated rules for picture making? A second stream of abstract art – which set that will dictate the type of art that broad church – growing broader year by Purists will argue there is no purpose for it also enjoys a history of more than 100 AI produces. And it will be impossible to year. other than to exist; to be. The artist is an years – started from a different premise. avoid those parameters from being aesthetic scientist involved in pure When Kasimir Malevich painted his based on visual or aesthetic guidelines Each of the four is creating beautifully research, experimenting with materials in Black Square, White Square and other grounded in the real world. How can a made and consummately assured work. her/his laboratory-like studio. non representational or non objective completely new aesthetic approach not In seeking to find what lies beneath the paintings, the connection with trace back to concepts of how we see surfaces of the paintings they brought to To be truly non objective, they maintain, representational art was severed. At our environment? SNO 117, I find each artist thinks visual art should have no objective other that point the question “What does it differently about their art practice and non than to create a new object with no mean?” became meaningless. Because Then there is another hurdle: the human objective art. And non objective art can reference to anything outside itself. Entirely the underlying aim, the raison d’etre of brain craves connections and will look indeed summon up thoughts of our reason self-referential. It is about nothing other this type of art is to consider shapes and for them even where they don’t exist. for being, or be a pathway to nothing… than colours, shapes and textures; matter colours for their own inherent We search for the familiar, and for and form. And the more pure and flat the properties. No longer were these the meaning in coincidences. We demand colours, the more sharp and precise the tools to create pictures reminding us of everything has a ‘story’ that can help us colour boundaries are, the better. bowls of fruit, nudes, landscapes or understand it. The groups of anything else. Shape and colour became schoolchildren or adults being taken on There is a long history of artists generating the subject matter. Painting was freed of an art gallery tour, for instance, will be abstract art by abstracting scenes or images the job of reflecting our environment told a story about what is pictured in a from the world around them. The resulting back to us. painting – such as the explosion in the paintings may carry only a residual trace of railway tunnel that resulted in Arthur the objects that inspired the painting. Finally, it is the art work alone that is the Streeton’s Fire’s On, Lapstone Tunnel Indeed, those objects may be object – it’s not trying to imitate 1891, It’s an easier and more engaging unrecognisable to all, except the artist. But anything else; no longer derived from way to provide connections and insight in a philosophical sense the resulting the world around us, but creating a new about painting than to attempt to

The term ‘non objective’ was first used in art Perhaps influenced by Plato’s belief that A Non Objective by Russian artist, Aleksander Rodchenko, geometry is the highest form of beauty, Primer… in titling his paintings (Non-Objective much non objective art tends to be Painting: Black on Black 1918). Fellow geometric, seeking the virtues of purity and Russian, Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935), simplicity. then picked it up, writing about ‘non- It’s no wonder people scratch their objectivity’ in 1919 and publishing the book Kandinsky, Malevich, Mondrian and heads and complain about The Non-Objective World in 1927. Frantisek Kupka were intrigued by the impenetrable ‘art-speak’, as the term spiritual writings of Theosophists, ‘non objective’ is a perfect case of The meaning they wanted to convey was of particularly Madame Blavatsky’s work, The Orwellian double-think. Referring to an art that does not represent an object, Secret Doctrine. It sparked a brief interest in art, non objective means almost the person, place or thing. [More grammatically, ancient wisdom, mysticism and spirituality opposite of what it does in everyday they should have named it ‘non object’ art.] that inevitably influenced their development speech. The shapes in their compositions are of abstract art. Likewise, US artist John unidentifiable. In the non objective world of McLaughlin, who spent 1935-8 in Japan, An objective is a goal or thing aimed visual art, less is more, in terms of colour, was fascinated by the Zen masters’ concept at or sought. If you have an objective structure and patterns. The aim is for purity of the space between objects, the attitude or approach to life you are and simplicity by reducing painting to its marvelous void, being more important than impartial, detached, unbiased or most elemental essence. the objects themselves to facilitate unprejudiced. You’d be expected to mediation. be even-handed, fair-minded, Theo van Doesburg’s Art Concret manifesto dispassionate or unemotional. So to talked of line, colour and surface as the So artists have attempted to find the be non-objective is the exact ‘concrete reality of painting’, spawning the transcendental, contemplative and timeless opposite: having a subjective term ‘concrete’ as another descriptor. since non objective art began. approach based on personal Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Hilma af feelings, tastes or opinions, rather Klint and many who followed them worked than facts. towards objectless paintings. Brian Blanchflower: Trevor Richards: Tom Freeman: Michele Theunissen:

In SNO 117, Blanchflower shows “Each of us has developed our own Freeman’s four sculptural constructions Theunissen builds up her paintings with selections from the past decade: an practice over time and there is no cross- and five ink drawings in the SNO 117 pigments and acrylic, as well as artists impressive 2-metre long Concretion 1:6 over between us, other than we all work exhibition were mainly created during ink, often strengthening the fine ink (green-gold) 2007; a Small Quartet 2008 in non-representational, non figurative 2014-15, together with two small lines on the surface with several layers. of brightly coloured acrylic on canvas art. This show demonstrates how it is paintings from 2013. The joyous The eight paintings on canvas in the rectangles; a silver-grey monochrome, possible to develop a personal language sculptures are completely without SNO 117 exhibition are comprised of Grey 2, 2004, and a suite of nine small within the non objective field, and how meaning or reference to anything five small, two mid size, and one larger Coalescences (9 ‘cakes’) 2004-5, darkly it is open to personal interpretation in beyond themselves. They are the most work, painted from 2012 to this year. textured paintings that stand off the so many ways. automatic, process-driven explorations wall. The Coalescences are mainly in the exhibition, inspired by nothing “The recent paintings are based on a circular or square; dark greys, black and “None of us see ourselves as regional. more than the fascination to experiment hexagonal structure. I build this out to a purple, constructed of oils, acrylic, silica Non objective art is a world-wide with materials. point where a disruption occurs and and pumice powder on dark mesh, ply movement and the scope of non causes imbalance. Then I focus on and canvas supports. No more than objective art is broadening all the time. Freeman has developed an almost developing the surface until it resolves 26cm across, the highly physical nature automatic process of experimenting into a new state of equilibrium. of these paintings gives them a strong “It’s impossible to be totally with paint as sculpture, by repeatedly presence. uninfluenced by the space you inhabit. dipping hessian string into red, yellow “While Tom’s process may be more My interest is mainly in architectural and blue acrylic paint, gradually building scientific, mine is a matter of working “While the paintings I’ve sent to the space – the built environment – rather layer upon layer, resulting in an with what is in front of me and making show are not the latest I’ve been than purely painting shapes, or amorphous shape covered in rings of responses until it is complete.” So when working on, they present a cohesive attempting to express the sublime, or alternating red, yellow and blue. does she know a painting is complete? view of my recent activity and were nature.” “It can be difficult to know. Sometimes chosen to fit the space,” he says. “My general approach in the past two it's a rhythmic structure that's “This exhibition reflects how non years changed from earlier work I was emphasised; sometimes it's a sense of Comments from earlier discussions with objective art is now far more open to loading with references and meaning. I colour balance." the artist leave one in no doubt that, for interpretation in so many ways and how made a decision to concentrate on him, non objective art can be concerned it is possible to develop a personal purely abstract art, even though it was a Titles of her earlier paintings such as with vast abstract themes such as our language within the broad scope of non whole other realm I didn’t have a Ways to Nothing could indicate the existence in the universe, or a sense of objective painting,” Richards says. background in, or a history of studying,” artist is attempting to reach an extreme place that goes beyond any individual Freeman says. of non objectivity. The reference, locality. Richards is showing an imposing on-site however, is to the philosophy of Buddist wall-work, scaled up to 3 x 4 metres “In earlier video and figurative drawing philosopher, Acharya Nagurjuna (150- “Landscape, I live in it. I’m not depicting from a small painting on canvas, hanging the textures and surfaces had begun to 250 AD). His views on emptiness and it but absorbing it generally and that in the centre of the opposite wall. He take greater precedence and started nothingness – which refer to the seeps into my work.” talks of this massive scaling-up as a driving my artwork. So I let that come to interdependence of all things – transfer, or projection, with the colours the fore. Then the materials and fascinates her. Regarded as a master of the and proportions of the tiny canvas and processes became the work. It was a monochrome, Blanchflower admits his the giant painting on the wall being natural progression. How much of this thinking finds its way crusty colour fields are informed by more or less identical. into her paintings? “The principles something more than the paint: “The “The structures I’m making with paint inherent in the philosophy influence my main ingredient in my paintings is the The extreme contrast in scale continues and string and wire are the most approach to painting, but get left behind unknowable.” his interest in colour, pattern and its abstract, as I’m not putting any form or in the act of painting,” she admits. relationship to architecture and the built references into that. The process itself is Discussing the consistent rebalancing of environment, though he labels the forming the shapes, taking things a little “Non objective? To be honest I don’t paint, space, matter and colour and how group from which the small painting is more out of my control.” believe in absolute non objectivity. some paintings take him many months extracted as ‘Character Studies 1-12’, Anything an artist creates has to be to complete, he says: “The more energy each painted with a different close The ink drawings are meditations on, or subjective in some respects – the invested in a painting, the more energy friend or family member in mind. It is representations of, the more reflexive materials chosen, choice of colour and it emanates. And the more physical they impossible, of course, for a viewer to process involved in building the the choices made in terms of building become, the less knowable they see any connection between the four sculptures, although some drawings are the surface plane even though become. My work is as much to do with coloured stripes of the composition and taken further. They have overtones of X- sometimes the reasons for choosing are that as colour, form, format and any human person or other object. Nor ray examinations of the onion-ring less obvious. process.” Then he adds, “But what they is Richards asking viewers to look for structure of the sculptures. are about and are pointing towards is any connection. But it’s instructive that “I’m interested in the entanglement the spiritual.” the artist mentally associates this most His two paintings are the transition between the subjective and objective. geometric, hard-edge painting with a pieces that ended an earlier My experiences and beliefs are filtered In 1961 Blanchflower went on a three particular person. preoccupation about his grandfather’s into the making of abstract work. Use of month walk across the south west of history and led to Freeman’s present materials and the way they are applied England with friend and fellow artist, pure, abstracted work. extend my subjectivity into something Bob Brighton, using ordinance survey that is also not me. It’s kind of reaching maps. The following year he took for nothing.” another 1,000 mile walk on his own through south west England and Wales, taking in Stonehenge and dozens of Brian Blanchflower is highly other megalithic pre-history sites. The respected and has a long Trevor Richards is an Tom Freeman has been Michele Theunissen, creates exhibition career, showing esteemed abstractionist with a exhibiting for 10 years, his delicate and often mysterious walks were formative experiences. extensively in Sydney and 30-year exhibition history. His practice includes painting, paintings composed of fine Melbourne. Trevor Richards, practice has encompassed photography and sculptural filaments of colour overlaid “The whole nature of walks is that you who curated the show, regards painting, sculpture, video, works, which in the past have across the canvas. Her work Blanchflower as “the elder photography and installation. included plaster, wood and features in collections such as Art see everything. It becomes a deep statesman of abstract art.” He is widely recognised for his beeswax. Curator of SNO117, Gallery of WA, Artbank, John experience and a source for later work – Critics and curators including formally structured, minimalist Trevor Richards, notes that Curtin Gallery, Wesfarmers, maybe even now. The stones, the light Daniel Thomas, Tony Bond, approach to painting, a Freeman’s work is often organic BankWest, King Edward Terence Maloon and Sebastian sustained engagement with a and intuitive. Memorial Hospital, Princess and other mysterious aspects of those Smee regard Blanchflower as limited range of colours, and Margaret Hospital, Holmes a ancient sites… what are they trying to one of the world’s top painters. an admiration for the Court Collection, University of WA tell us? What were they set up for? All He has been dedicated to commonplace. In the past and private, institutional and abstract painting since the decade he has shown corporate collections. Theunissen of that is relevant to what I’m trying to early 1960s and is represented extensively in Europe. Trevor’s has been exhibiting for 20 years do in painting. Unless we are looking in all State collections, the work has been acquired by the and recent exhibitions include beyond to that, then what? ….the National Gallery of Australia National Gallery of Australia, Abstracting the Collection, and collections around the Art Gallery of WA, Artbank, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery and spiritual quality; that’s the important world including MOMA and the University of WA, Edith Cowan a film installation at PICA as part bit.” British Museum. His work was University, Murdoch University, of the Perth International Arts shown earlier this year in the BankWest, Royal Perth Festival. Oslo National Gallery, Norway, Hospital, Kerry Stokes and the Wesfarmers Collection collection and several other at the Ian Potter Museum, corporate and private Victoria. In 2013 he was collections. included in the landmark ‘Australia’ survey at the Royal Academy of Art, London.

Above, Brian Blanchflower, L-R: Coalescences (9 ‘cakes’), 2004-5; Concretion 1:6 (green gold), 2007, micaceous oils, acrylic, pumice, silica on polyester/cotton canvas 36.5 x 214 x 5.5 cm; Small Quartet, 2008, acrylic and silica on canvas, each 13 x 10 x 4 cm with 10.5 intervals. Below, Tom Freeman, L-R: Black & white ink circle 3 75 x 55 cm; Kettering library 3 (20), 2013, 14 x 14 cm; Yellow blue red dip (3 together; 3 separate; upside down) 2015 [Last two photos Bo Wong]

Above, Trevor Richards, main: SNO Projection 2015 Part 2, acrylic on wall, 300 x 400 cm; top right: 12 Character Studies; lower right: Part 1, acrylic on canvas on board, 22 x 31.5 cm. Below: Michele Theunissen, left: Pink and white lines, 2014-5, acrylic, pigment, artist inks on linen 140 x 120 cm; upper right: Organic geometry #4, 2012, 61 x 61 cm; lower right: Orange 2015, 30 x 30 cm.